“Every hardship has a silver lining” is a commonplace saying, but it is true enough even if it is “common.” When we encounter adversity – or even disaster – we think the world is ending, and in some ways it might be. But one always finds that some rays of optimism in dark times, and a person often finds talents and abilities they never knew they had – they rise to the occasion and surprise themselves by their fortitude. It is true today, as it was in Roman times, when Horace said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents” that in better times we did not even knew we had.
Body Paragraph #1 – Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird (she became more tolerant, more patient, and more understanding of “justice” for all the bad that happened to her because her father defended Tom Robinson.
Body Paragraph #2 – The Great Recession (in our current hard economic times many families have become closer and more united because they had to in order to survive lean times.)
Body Paragraph #3 – All the stress and lack of sleep in becoming a father has made me a more selfless, caring person – more open to the sufferings of people I don’t know, heart more open to other’s pain.
“Every hardship has a silver lining” is a commonplace saying, but it is true enough even if it is “common.” When we encounter adversity – or even disaster – we think the world is ending, and in some ways it might be. But one always finds that some rays of optimism in dark times, and a person often finds talents and abilities they never knew they had – they rise to the occasion and surprise themselves by their fortitude. It is true today, as it was in Roman times, when Horace said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents” that in better times we did not even knew we had.
Conclusion – (Re-state your thesis)